Little Ivy Cakes

Bellini Mini Cupcake

Happy Valentines Day!

To celebrate I made these light and subtle peachy, champagney cupcakes.

I love the Bellini and one night after drinking quite a few of them, came up with making a cupcake.

The Bellini drink was created by Harry’s Bar in Venice Italy which was famous for far more than just its' Bellini recipe. This well known reported haunt of Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles was opened in 1931 and in 1948 Giuseppi Cipriani created the Bellini which was inspired by the 15th-century Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini. Giuseppi’s recipe took a long time tradition of marinating fresh peaches in wine to a new level. By mixing fresh white peach puree and champagne.

"I had no idea at the time that the pink glow my father had so admired in one of Bellini's paintings would be the inspiration for his famous cocktail. Peaches are in abundance throughout Italy from June through September, and my father had a predilection for the white ones. So much so, in fact, that he kept wondering whether there was a way to transform this magic fragrance into a drink he could offer at Harry's Bar.

He experimented by puréeing small white peaches and adding some prosecco *Italian champagne*. Those who tested this new concoction gave it rave reviews, and my father was encouraged to pursue his alchemy."

-Giuseppi's son, Arrigo Cipriani

Due to the drinks popularity Harry’s Bar soon offered the drink year round. An entrepreneurial fellow Frenchman made his fortune by setting up a business that ship fresh white peach purée to both Harry's Bars in Venice and New York.

Original recipe was made with fresh pureed white peaches with raspberry or cherry juice to give the drink a pink glow and served in tall champagne flutes. 2/3 cup white peach puree (use yellow peaches if white not available)

1 teaspoon raspberry puree
1 bottle chilled Italian sparkling wine such as Prosecco or Asti Spumante Brut -Place 1 1/2 tablespoons puree In the bottom of each flute and add 2 - 3 drops of the raspberry puree. Add sparkling wine and serve. -Raspberry puree: Puree fresh or frozen (thawed) berries in a food processor. -Peach puree: Peel fresh peaches, cut up in pieces and blend in a food processor.

My cupcake recipe is scribble on a piece of paper right now and I don't have the patience to type it out right now. But, I will soon update this post with the recipe. I basically used a vanilla cake recipe and substituted the milk liquids for peach puree with peal, pomegranate juice, and champagne.

My icing recipe was a new and different for me. I got it HERE from Williams-Sonoma and added dry peach tea leaves, peach puree, and vanilla bean powder.

I decorated them with dry peach tea leaves, food glitter and rose-colored sugar sprinkles.

Have a Lovely Day!